The level of water in River Benue is rising steadily amid fears by residents that the river may overflow its banks and cause heavy flooding.

This follows the alert by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for nine states, including Benue, to brace for flooding this year because of the release of water from Lagdo Dam by the Cameroonian authorities.

NEMA, which promised to give periodic updates on the situation, as it receives situation reports from the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) as well as frontline states’ emergency management agencies, however, advised the affected states to immediately activate their emergency response plans to avert damage that could arise in communities along the Niger and Benue rivers basins.

The advice by NEMA, notwithstanding, if providence does not stop the expected floods, Benue may be a disaster waiting to happen, as government officials, who should handle the situation, still dilly-dally.

When The Guardian met the Executive Secretary, Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA), James Iorpuu, to find the agency’s preparedness for the impending floods, he said they were still meeting and would give a definite answer the next day.

The next day, he said they had a meeting and requested a few minutes, after which he abruptly came out of the office and left .

The Guardian then contacted the Commissioner for Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Mr. Ugwu Odoh, and he said he had just returned from Abuja. He summoned the Permanent Secretary, Ali Efu, for an update on preparation.

Efu said the state government set up a committee, of which he was a member, but that only the Commissioner of Information and his Education counterpart were mandated to talk on the activities of the committee.

The dilly-dallying continued.

Repeated calls to the information commissioner went unanswered, same with text messages.

Aides of the Benue SEMA Executive Secretary referred The Guardian to Radio Benue, where they said the SEMA boss makes announcements. (The Guardian)

Update news